Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-11-26
Watohman Sc journal.
WEDNESDAY,, NOVEMBER 26, 1873.
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TEnvs-f2O0 per year, strictly In advance or i250
" not paid within three months.


This festival comes this year With the
snow falling like wool, and to the sound Of
all the winds Of the cave Of old Eolus
The earth is wrapped in its wintry robes,
thick and warm as the tuted nantes Of
Scottadde With 40 frost 10 the ground
and twenty inches Of snow upon it, the sea-
son invites to the pleasant Joys Of those who
love the foci peRaies, and to the outside
stirring delights Of feet steeds and musical
.cgh.bels. The harvests are all stored in
barns the fruits are all laid away in the
arstocratic corners Of the cellars; the
docks aud herds are in their stalls by night,
and trampliug snowy paths to spring or
brook by day. The shovel and the hoe are
laid down; the axe is lifted against the
mighty trees golden pumpkins are pealed
and sliced glorious old oxen, whose lean
muscles have been so larded aud mixed |
With fat that their loins look like variegated
marble, and you can hardly tell where the
fat begins and the lean end, are hanging, |
quartercd, in the SHAMELESS turkeys of
lately wide.'preadng tails, and angry mot.
tied threats, are now pendent on their long,
uugainly legs from iron hooks in butchers
stalls and Heaven summons US with an
older proclamation than Presidents or
Governors TO the festival Of praise aud
thanksgiving.
There are some things for which we may
duly be grateful which are not in the or.
binary catalogue of annual mercies. We
are just taking the last drops Of the thun.
derous storm Of panic that has swept over
the country. For this panic the country
has reason to hold special thanksgiving
II has taken the water out Of five hundred
millions Of dollars worth Of railroad and
other securities. 1t has brought their
nominal value down to their real value
which is Of immense advantage to that
large portion Of our people who buy such
securities for investment and not for spec.
ulaton. 1t will keep those who had few
eggs from putting them in baskets that have
no bottom. We know a good many minis
tiers aud professors aud honest Christian
men, who on the word and reputation Of
some Christian Gnancier, and the advertise
meut Of some religious newspaper, have in
vested all the painful savings Of laborious
life in speculative securities aud in the
bonds Of roads which will not be finished
for half a score of years. Now the true
character of such securities is revealed be.
fore they are ell put out Of the pockets Of the
jobbers into the pockets Of farmers and min.
listers and poor widows We are not very
much unhappy when the wind shakes the
wormy apples of the tree too soon for
the orchardist to gather them and sell
them for sound winter fruit II is sort
of mercy for which we desire to be truly
thankful, when bad goods are exposed
before they are very generally Sold. The
panic will he likely to make our business
| affairs, hereafter, more healthy. Then,
too, We have had the special mercy of
the Credit Mobiler 1t has been dem.
onstrated that the country will not stand
needless lying. All those Congressman
whose useless memories did not serve TO
keep them out Of very palpable falsehoods,
have been laie on the shelf Some Of them
have been mortified so deeply as to die
some Of them retain existence with the loss
of human respect, which is worse than
death. Men very rarely respect long con-
tinued and deliberate lying. They forgive
crimes of impulse and crimes of passion a
thousand times. They forgive lying when it is
confused, but they don't pardon it when it is
stuck to. 1t is a matter of gratitude that our
Congress has in the last year, condemned by
a large majority the sin of lying. This
vote Of our highest legislative council is
an emphatic protest against very common
American habit.
We have also witnessed the cornering of
the celebrated corruptionist of New York
city, who thought it a remarkable example
and lesson Of smartness to our American
youth to steal, for himself and associates,
millions Of dollars Of public money Tweed
has been condemned to tine of s12,750
and twelve years in Jail, for stealing from
the people vast sums Of money. We had
hardly dared expect so great mercy. We
had come to regard Congress, not as an as
sembly Of the good, but as a Paradise Of
corruption and ialsehood. Wehad learned
to look on New Y ork as the carcass for vul.
lures and buzzards, but Congress has
cleansed its stables and New York has re.
nounced and imprisoned the chief of its
predatory hordes These are meroies not
vouchsafed to every year, and we put on the
full organ at this Thanksgiving.
But pity is next door neighbor to thank
'N'"NSS' W { never ieVi RIhtclul 10 uOu out
we want to help some man To forget the
troubled, the poor, the fearful and misera-
BILE when we are grateful, turns our graft
tude into sel6shuess. But genuine praise
to heaven comes before God leading by the
hand some genuine sou or daughter of want
or fear There are mutitudes of families
in our land which will have no lack of
dainties, and no wandering child, to chill
their true joy. Providence and Industry
and Love, crowned by the source Of all
gifts, will greet the sacred feast But
alas for those households where want
stares in at the open door, and the cold
winds of November are not tempered by
the sunshine Of human kindness alas for
those where deeper sorrow than this turks
in the hearts Of its members where mem.
DRY recalls wounds that seem to open them;
where the lost by death or the prodgal by
sin, worse than death, come not back to
greet those who still love them most. To
them, thankfulness aud sorrow mingle in
the same cup, and the chalice Of pleasure is
dashed with the misery Of pain.
Let lot our gratitude for the infuiie
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