The New York herald., 1874-12-11
THANKSGIVING IN BERLIN.
Celebration of the Day by Ameri-
cans in Germany.
Address by Rev. Joseph p.
Thompson, u. d.

THANKSGIVING Day was celebrated here to-day,
the main feature OF the celebration being an ad-
dress from Rev. Joseph r. Thompson, d. d.. on
.The Heroic Age OF America and Its Legacy.n
The revei end gentleman spoke as lolows:-
This day belongs TO Americans, and surely none
Will Degrudge them IN foreign lands the obser-
vance or national FESTIVAL which brings them
into conscious and cheerful unison with the
milions oil their c0untrymen at home IN the
grateful and adoring recognition OF Almighty
God. The spirit OF nationality, In which and
higher form OF civil and social lie, must cause each
nation TO respect In every other that observance
OF padrioIic Gays and festivals wnlcn u would
keep IN remembrance the birthday OF Washing
ton the Fourth Of July the National Tnanksgy,
up my American nag in honor OF the
whose projection live and on oner lestal days.
in sympathy with the great and noble German
nation, which, having done 80 much for science,
form, to do It's noblest WORK for the peace OF
Europe and for the deliverance OF civil society
Eom the curse OF ecclesiastical control. The bet
ter this festival OF ours Is understood the more
will IL be appreciated and perhaps initiated also
IN Europe. Our German friends however, wlll get
q strange notion oil its history and significance II
they trust to the American correspondents or
their own journals Tor Information touching
American LIE ana institutions. Not long ago
read IN leading newspaper OF Berlin letter
from America describing our thanksgiving Day.
Al ths m w NO e
holidays, no festivals. THIS desoate and gloomy
condition OF the national mind he ascriDed OF
never allow OF any holiday but the Sab
bath, ana this they enforced with more
Pedens Of the Tnea states had s tine the
% idea o. q national thanksgiving; and this was SO
ep w5q sn
to observe Il, though tney tried TO make it as
solemn as their Sabbath This oldest festival.
dating from the heroic age OF America, is the best
expression OF our national spirit, combining into
one conception productive enterprise, domestic
ieiicty ana religious devotion; or Tnanksglv,ng
family iestivlty and sanctifed by prayer. The PHI
Rrlms were believers; no Haeckel nor Huxley had
no Tyndal that prayer is but powerless superstl-
tion. II their beliefs indeed TO be set aside by
thankful that the superstition tic - lived iAsi long
lor one. shall stand BY those heroes
TIL materlallsm shall produce race more
worthy OF my trust and homage. My theme TO.
day y ..lhe tierolc Age Of America and Its Leg
OF culture and women OF refinement willing to suf-
fer persecution, imprisonment. banlshment from
the comforts OF an English home, exile across the
sea. cold, hunger, pestllence, death; and all this
Tor ideas and principles tnat are to-day the rich
est treasure and the brightest hope for human
ty-whether you call 1t superstition or faith-was
the stun OF which heroes were made and BY
winch nation was nurtured to ITS manhood. Is
1s py tne inspiration OF that heroic age that the
past and by conserving this 1T shall 1--we through
all the commOtions OF the present. For myself, so
Iooted am IN the lessons OF this heroic age. that
have no fear Of the stability OF the institutions OF
the United States, whatever eXcilements or perils
seem to threaten them In lie
ruined five times by financial panics, only to rise
again stronger and richer than before. In my
boyho0d saw II turned into military despOtism
by General Jackson, and now second time have
seen II turned INTO military despotism" by
thrive equally under the military despotism OF
General sherman, or General sheridan, or any
other general, except one whom !. could n. not
seen the country either actually destroyed through
bribery and corruption or certain to be destroyed
1860 the Union was dissolved at least once during
every session OF Congress. Yet we still sing with
longfellow:-
tn; ynSu, ~ TOO, ,,nIa ssil on snip Of ststs,
Humanity with ali iss iears
Is sS hanging a af ereashsss q on ysaei
We know what master LAID thy keel
Who made each mast, and sail. ana rope,
What anvlls rang what hammers beat,
IN what forge and what = heat
Fear nos sSA each s sudden sSs sound ana sSSOsi
IT'S OF tho wave and not the rock;
IT'S but the Tapping OF the sail,
In spite Of rock and tempests roar,
Sail on. nor fear 20 breast the sea
Our hearts hopes are all with thee;
Our hearts our hopes our our pr9ysss our tears
Arc all with thee, all with theel
But shall be met at once with the taunt, so
common IN Europe, that Americans have no his
tory; that we are too young to draw motive or
Inspiration from the past. Some will naturally
enough coniound the centenary or our in4epend-
ence IN 1875 with the wnole period OF our national
century than the era Of the Great Elector, and
older than the union OF Brandenburg and Prussia
Still snail be told that we have had great OF
development from an antiquity hoary with RUNS
ana hung round with traditions True the people
through those gradatlons which are said to marx
the growth OF great peoples from the age or
stone; but though we had no iron age we look
back to men OF iron as our founders; no my ythical
heroes, but .tnere were giants in those days; - no
era OF the gods, but there were men who
..walked with GOd;" no mailed knights carrying
yet there We're pilgrims carrying living Christ to
subdue continent to His Kingdom. Is America
youngY SO the Roman Catholic Church taunts
Professionalism with Its youth-"your Church dates
only from Luther, ours from Peter.n But Protes-
tan tiSm answers, Ours was not birth but q res.
toration. We recovered the Church, not from the
hand OF Peter but from that OF Christ. And SO
America can say the whole past Is ours; Tor we
recovered man from OPPRESSION we recovered
truth from tradition, We recovered liberty from
tyranny. Our development dates from the age
wnen England was respondent with the names OF
Spenscr Shakespeare, sidney and Ben Jonson, of
Bishops Hall anu Hooker, and with the rising
sSy science ro the ace wSea
Germany had experienced ner emanciptlOn from
spiritual tnraldom through the mighty throes OF
the wise counsels ana heroic sacrihces OF William
the silent, had given Europe the example OF a
free state; from the aR0 WUen calvin nad
wrought ont the sovereignty OF God IN ordaining,
and Arminlus the freedom OF man in willing; It
was when the seventeenth century had opened
under the concentrated light and warmth OF these
productive influences IN literature. IN politics, In
theology, that the Pilgrims nurtured In England,
domiced In Holland, set i0rtn for America carry
Ing with them the most advanced ideas OF Church
and OF state, and leaving behind them the tradi-
tions, the encumbrances. the dissertations OF the
past. 1t mas been fifty SAID OF them tnat "God
srted the wheat OF the Old World for this planting
OF the New"
OF the herosm with which they entered upon
their voyage In the Mayf0wer, with which they
met the hardships OF the first winter at Plymouth
and the perils from the Indians Will not here
stop TO speak. l might go back to the perils and
escapes of the first settlement IN Virginia, or come
down to the later wars with the Indians and the
French: might follow the course oI emigration
westward; everywhere 1t 10 the same story OF
heroic men and women nurturlng nation up TO
ls manhood. And when the hour or that man
hood came We see assembled the company OF
ffty-nve men VINO subscribed tnat Declaration or
Independence In which they pledged TO eacn other
.'tnelr lives, their fortunes and thelr sacred
honor" signing IT with the scaffold In view,
Franklin saying, "Now, we must all hang